$23 million

Carson campaign raises $23 million in 4th quarter

By Alex Isenstadt

Ben Carson’s campaign raised around $23 million in the last three months of 2015, his campaign manager Barry Bennett said on Wednesday — one-upping Ted Cruz's fourth-quarter haul of nearly $20 million.

The retired neurosurgeon's torrid fundraising pace comes amid turmoil for the Carson campaign, with the candidate speaking openly about the need to shake up his operation as his poll numbers decline.

Meanwhile, donors and longtime Carson loyalists have expressed concerns about his sky-high burn rate, which ate up more than half of what he raised in the previous fundraising cycle — leaving him with just $11.5 million cash on hand after taking in more than $30 million in the first 9 months of 2015.

In Iowa, Carson has been eclipsed by Cruz, who has worked aggressively to consolidate support among the state's critical evangelical Christians. Questions about his foreign policy acumen have plagued him, too, as a spate of high-profile attacks have heightened voters’ concerns about terrorism.

Last week, Carson told several news organizations that “every job” was on the table and that he was cutting the salaries of his senior staff — only to later say his campaign team was “spectacular.”